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Chelsea forward Sam Kerr said she feared for her life when "trapped" in a taxi before she was alleged to have caused racially aggravated harassment to a police officer, a court heard.
The Australia captain gave evidence at her trial on Wednesday, saying she was "terrified" and her partner, West Ham United and United States midfielder Kristie Mewis, was "crying and scared."
Kerr, 31, who is one of the top women's football players in the world, is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to police constable Stephen Lovell during an incident in southwest London in the early hours of Jan. 30, 2023.
It is alleged that Kerr and Mewis had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver, who complained that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick, and that one of them smashed the vehicle's rear window.
At the police station Kerr is alleged to have become "abusive and insulting" towards PC Lovell, calling him "stupid and white." Kerr accepts making the comments but denies that they amount to the charge.
Giving evidence, Kerr told the jury she put her head out of the window when she began to feel sick before the driver "rolled it up" and began to "drive dangerously."
She said the dangerous driving continued for 15 to 20 minutes.
"I was terrified for my life," she said. "We were not in control ... I deemed him to be dangerous because of the driving but also because he could have taken us anywhere. He couldn't be tracked so no one knew where we were."
Kerr said the pair tried to open the doors and windows multiple times but they remained locked before Mewis "kicked out (the window) with her boot."
Footage from PC Lovell's body camera was previously played to jurors, in which Kerr tells him and PC Samuel Limb that she and Mewis were "very scared" and "trying to escape" the cab when they damaged the vehicle.
The court also heard that, at the police station, Kerr made reference to Sarah Everard, who was murdered by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens in 2023, telling officers about a "girl in Clapham" who "got raped and killed."
She allegedly said to PC Lovell: "I know it wasn't you ... but both of us are scared."
Born in Perth, she also made reference to the Australian Claremont serial killer: "I lived in a state where for 30 years there was a serial killer that was thought to have been a taxi driver. Everyone was talking about not getting in a taxi."
The trial continues.
Ange Postecoglou has said that he is totally convinced that new signing Mathys Tel wants to be at Tottenham Hotspur after the forward initially stalled over a move to the club before agreeing to join them in a dramatic U-turn on deadline day.
Tel, 19, is in line to make his Spurs debut in the team's Carabao Cup semifinal clash against Liverpool on Thursday after he joined the club in a loan deal that contains an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.
Sources have told ESPN that Tel had rejected a move to Postecoglou's injury-hit team after they had a 60 million ($62.5m) accepted by Bayern Munich before a conversation with the Australian prompted him to make the move to north London after all.
Asked whether he is "100%" convinced Tel wants to be at Spurs, Postecoglou said: "100%. More than 100. Because he took so much time and was so diligent about finding out everything. When he made the decision it was us, and he obviously had options, that gave me even more confidence we were getting the right kind of mentality and player.
"He is very ambitious and has a great deal of self belief and self confidence. He feels like he can reach the very top of the game and he has chosen us which is great vindication for what we are doing."
The highly rated France under-21 international is Bayern's youngest-ever goalscorer (17 years and 126 days old) but struggled for game time under head coach Vincent Kompany this season.
Sources have told ESPN that Tel was pursued by several clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea during the January transfer window after he told Bayern he was keen to explore a move away from the club.
"It's a simplistic way of looking at it [whether he had to convince Tel to join Spurs]," Postecoglou said. "People need to understand that you are talking about a 19-year-old player who has to make a major decision about his career. It's not so much that he rejected us or anyone else.
"Rightly so, he was getting as much information as possible. More than anything I think he just wanted to be comfortable with the decision. The sense I get was he didn't want to be pushed in a certain direction. I think it is credit to him that he took his time and spoke to the right people.
"I had a conversation with him and mine was purely about football. I think he will find a really great place for him in terms of where he is in his career. He obviously wants to play and we have already shown that irrespective of age you will get an opportunity here. And I think the way we play would suit him and certainly with what we have in the next few months and more importantly what we are building beyond I thought it would be a perfect fit for his next step. At the same time I think it was right to take as long as he did and he was totally comfortable with it.
Napoli sporting director Gioanni Manna has said that Alejandro Garnacho's financial demands to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window were too high for the Italian club.
Garnacho, 20, was among the players that Napoli had considered to strengthen their attack in January.
Napoli lost star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who signed for Paris Saint-Germain in a 60 million ($61m) transfer last month.
"Garnacho is a player that we like and we have liked," Manna told a news conference on Wednesday.
"We considered him even before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's departure. We met. We made a very important offer to United. We came close to their demands, very close."
Even if a transfer fee was agreed with United, Manna said the deal would not have been completed because of the Argentina winger's financial requests.
"In order to leave the Premier League in January, because in July it is different, the player [Garnacho] probably wanted to be satisfied financially," Manna said.
"It's something which we can't do right now, we are no willing to do and I don't think it is right. When you have an average salary within the dressing room and I bring in a young player that earns a medium to high salary, I don't find it correct for those players that are doing important work here."
Manna also revealed that Borussia Dortmund striker Karim Adeyemi turned down a move to Napoli.
Adeyemi, 23, is a reported target of several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea.
"For Adeyemi we had a draft agreement with Dortmund," Manna said.
"We were there, we spoke to the player who wasn't sure and didn't want to come now. I read that he already has agreements with others, but that's not the case. I didn't want to insist, all those who have arrived since I've been here have strongly wanted to come to Napoli."
Napoli, who are top of Serie A, signed Switzerland striker Noah Okafor on loan from AC Milan on transfer deadline day.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola faces a selection headache as he will need to leave out one of the club's January signings from the Champions League knockout stages ahead of Thursday's deadline.
City, amid a prolonged run of poor form, spent 210 million ($219m) last month on forward Omar Marmoush, midfielder Nico González and defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
Clubs must inform UEFA of their 25-man squad for the knockout stages by 11 p.m. GMT on Thursday (6 p.m. E.T.), however each club can only make three changes from their league phase squad. It means City must leave at least out one of their four new signings.
City face Real Madrid in the playoff stage, with the opening leg at the Etihad scheduled for Feb. 11 and a return leg at the Bernabéu set for Feb. 19.
It is the fourth consecutive season that City and Madrid will face off in the Champions League knockout stages. Last season, they drew both legs before the Spanish giants eventually progressed after winning penalties and went on to lift the title against Borussia Dortmund. The year before, City won 5-1 on aggregate in the semifinals before beating Inter Milan in the final to complete a historic treble.
Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal target Cunha eyes summer move
Manchester City could join the race to sign AC Milan's Theo Hernández, while Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha is eyeing a summer move after being linked to Arsenal in January. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.
Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men's January grades | Women's January grades
TOP STORIES
- City must omit new signing for UCL knockouts
- Transfer desperation ranking: Man City top after mega-spend
- Galatasaray keen to sign Newcastle's Trippier - source
- Manna: Garnacho demands were too much for Napoli
TRENDING RUMORS
- Manchester City could rival Real Madrid in the race to sign AC Milan left-back Theo Hernández this summer, reports TeamTalk. While Pep Guardiola's first-choice transfer target remains Juventus' Andrea Cambiaso, the club have also added Hernández to their left-back shortlist -- should they miss out on the Italian. Madrid are regarded as the 27-year-old's most "serious" suitor, although Milan still hold out hope that Hernández will stay at San Siro by signing a two-year contract extension.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha is eager to join a "bigger club" despite recently signing a new deal, Football Insider reports. The Brazilian had been the subject of interest from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in January, all of whom are expected to be vying for his signature again in the summer. The inclusion of a release clause was reportedly "demanded" by the 25-year-old, who is eyeing a transfer once it becomes active in June.
- Chelsea are already planning for Christopher Nkunku's exit this summer, Football Insider have reported. The 27-year-old was heavily linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United last month, but a move failed to materialize before the transfer window closed on Feb. 3. However, with Nkunku expected to remain a back-up option at Stamford Bridge under Enzo Maresca, the forward is said to be assessing his future.
- Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo were linked with moves away from Manchester United in January, and the Guardian reports that a summer transfer could still be on the cards. Garnacho was wanted by Napoli and Chelsea, while the west London club were also said to be considering a move for Mainoo. United need to create more headroom to allow Ruben Amorim to rebuild the squad, and finding new clubs for the two academy graduates would provide pure profit for PSR calculations -- giving the new boss more funds to reinvest.
- Harry Kane has a release clause in his Bayern Munich contract, Bild reports, but it would take a huge offer to activate it. The England captain had one clause that could have been triggered in January with an offer of 80m, but that's now expired. The clause will now fall to 65m, but there is no suggestion that Kane, 31, is looking to the leave the Bundesliga club.
CONFIRMED TRANSFERS
- Defender Lloyd Kelly has joined Juventus from Newcastle United in a 17.2m deal.
- AS Roma have signed FC Twente left-back Anass Salah-Eddine for 8m.
- Ajax have signed Real Valladolid right-back Lucas Rosa for 3m.
- Orlando City have acquired winger Marco Pašalić from HNK Rijeka for an undisclosed fee.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN's Dale Johnson on the numbers behind Matheus Cunha's rise in the Premier League.
Matheus Cunha was something of an enigma when arriving at Wolves two years ago.
The Brazil international was signed from Atlético Madrid on loan, with an obligation to make the move permanent after certain clauses were met for a fee which could rise to 35m.
It's fair to say Cunha didn't exactly suggest he would be value for money when he was on loan, scoring only two goals and providing zero assists in 17 Premier League appearances.
He then started last season slowly, but over the last 14 months has been one of the most productive players in the Premier League, scoring 21 goals and setting up another nine. He's netted 11 times already in this campaign, one behind his tally for 2023-24.
So on those numbers alone, it's easy to see why the bigger clubs have begun to sit up and take notice, and why Wolves sealed a contract extension in January.
And he's become more clinical, too. The 12 goals in the last campaign came from an xG of 9.55, while this season he has 11 goals from an xG of just 5.22. His minutes per goal is down from 204.4 to 170.5.
OTHER RUMORS
- USA midfielder Johnny Cardoso has extended his contract with Real Betis until June 2030. However, Tottenham Hotspur still hold a priority option to sign the 23-year-old. (Real Betis)
- Samuel Chukwueze is expected to remain at AC Milan until the end of the season after his proposed Fulham transfer collapsed. The two clubs ran out of time on deadline day to complete the 30m deal because of issues surrounding an obligatory purchase option. (Revelo)
- AC Milan made an approach to sign Ferran Torres from Barcelona, along with Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, but the Catalan club decided to keep him. (Marca)
- Alphonso Davies' agent has revealed that Real Madrid was "a serious option" for the player before he decided to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich. (Marca)
- West Ham United made a late attempt to sign Endrick on loan from Real Madrid for the rest of the season. (Marca)
- Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Petar Sucic is expected to undergo a medical at Internazionale on Friday ahead of his summer transfer. The 16m deal will see Sucic join up with his new teammates in June -- just in time for him to feature at this summer's FIFA Club World Cup. (Nicolo Schira)
- Chelsea explored options to sign a new goalkeeper to replace Robert Sanchez in January, but could not identify a suitable target who would have been available. (Football Insider)
- Centre-back Murillo was also a target for Chelsea, but Nottingham Forest rejected an offer which would have broken their transfer record early in the window and insisted he was not up for transfer. (Daily Telegraph)
- Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal worth 1.6m plus add-ons for St Patrick's Athletic striker Mason Melia, but he cannot complete the move until next January. Cetlic, Everton, Club Brugge and Eintracht Frankfurt all wanted the Republic of Ireland youth international, who does not turn 18 until September. (The Sun)
- Arsenal discussed making a move for Alvaro Morata in January as their potential striker options reduced. The Spain international eventually moved on loan to Galatasaray from Juventus. (The Athletic)
- Galatasaray are pushing to sign Empoli defender Saba Goglichidze this month. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
- Manchester United are considering a move for Flamengo wonderkid Wesley França. (Goal)
- Brighton & Hove Albion have secured a deal to sign 19-year-old Brøndby midfielder Clement Bischoff. (The Athletic)
- FC Dallas have approached former Napoli left-back Mário Rui after his contract with the Serie A club was mutually terminated. (Fabrizio Romano)
- Former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Mario Lemina is expected to undergo a medical at Galatasaray on Thursday. (Nicolo Schira)
- Başakşehir FK striker Krzysztof Piatek is attracting interest from several MLS clubs. (Ekrem Konur)
- Andrey Santos is set to become a "key player" for Enzo Maresca at Chelsea next season, having impressed on loan at Strasbourg. (Fabrizio Romano)
- Galatasaray have entered into negotiations to sign 19-year-old Anderlecht defender Jan-Carlo Simić. (Di Marzio)
- Valencia centre-back Yarek Gasiorowski has closed the door to a potential Galatasaray transfer this month. (Relevo)
WI to begin 2025 home season with three-Test series against Australia
The Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the first Test and the Grenada National Stadium will host the second. The series will end at Sabina Park in Jamaica and will be followed by five T20Is. West Indies will close out their home summer with three T20Is and three ODIs against Pakistan from July 31 to August 12. Broward County in Florida will host the T20I series and the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad the ODI ones.
They will then travel to India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand from September 21 to December 23. They are set to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Bangladesh. The New Zealand tour will be an all-format assignment comprising three Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.
Before all that, West Indies, having missed the qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup, will prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup with three ODIs in Ireland, followed by three in England. During their visits, they will also play three T20Is each against both teams.
The CWI release also stated that the West Indies women will begin their 2025 campaign with the World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan from April 4-19, where six teams will compete for two spots in the marquee event in India, scheduled from August to September.
West Indies women will then travel to England for three T20Is and as many ODIs from May 21 to June 8. They will then return home to face South Africa women in three ODIs and three T20Is, with the 3Ws Oval in Barbados hosting all six games.
Malahide will host all three ODIs in Ireland from May 21 to May 25 before West Indies will play against England in Headingly (May 29), Cariff (June 1) and June 3 (The Oval). West Indies will also play three T20Is in England before returning to Ireland for three more T20Is in Belfast. Their UK tour will end with the third T20I against Ireland on June 15. They will have a ten-day gap before their Test-series opener against Australia in Barbados.
Sun Group secures 100% stake in Northern Superchargers
A third IPL franchise owner has emerged victorious in the ongoing Hundred sale with the Sun Group, owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad, making the highest bid to buy a stake in Northern Superchargers, whose host county is Yorkshire.
ESPNcricinfo understands that the Sun Group have agreed to buy 100% of the franchise: both the ECB's 49% stake, and Yorkshire's 51% share. The Superchargers are the first team to be sold outright, with host venues retaining a share in the first five franchises sold.
The Sun Group's valuation of Superchargers was 100 million, with two other parties understood to have been involved in the auction. Both Yorkshire and Sun Group have to finalise the agreement within eight weeks of the end of the Hundred sale.
The Superchargers will be the third T20 franchise team in the Sun Group's portfolio. They acquired Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2012, who went on to win the IPL in 2016 and finished as runners-up last year. In 2023, they added Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who have won the SA20 title in its first two editions.
The Sun Group is owned by Kalanithi Maran, an Indian media baron, who successfully bid for the IPL franchise after the BCCI terminated the ownership contract of the previous Hyderabad-based team, Deccan Chargers, in 2012.
Sanjay Patel, Yorkshire's chief executive and the Hundred's former managing director, said in a statement: "We are delighted to be entering into an exclusivity period with the Sun Group, and will be continuing our conversations with them in the coming weeks with a view to setting the Northern Superchargers up for long-term and sustained success."
"Having been in consultation with them for some time now, it is clear that they are aligned to the values and future direction of the club and will play a huge part in ensuring we can go on to achieve great success in the coming years. Today is clearly a huge milestone for Yorkshire CCC, the Northern Superchargers and the Sun Group, but it is worth stressing that there is a lot of detail to be discussed alongside further due diligence and legal processes before a contract can be signed."
The Superchargers are yet to win the Hundred in either the men's or the women's competition, with both teams finishing fourth in 2024. Their men's team is coached by Andrew Flintoff and captained by Harry Brook, while the women's team recently appointed Lisa Keightley as Dani Hazell's successor. Mickey Arthur has also taken over as their new director of cricket this year.
Warwickshire confirmed that Knighthead are their preferred investor on Wednesday. Chief executive Stuart Cain said: "We'd said at the start of this process that we wanted an investor committed to invest in the region and be with us for the long term, to make a real difference. I believe we've found that in Knighthead and we look forward to working with them during this exclusivity period."
The total valuation of the six franchises so far is close to 800m, with Trent Rockets and Southern Brave yet to be sold.
Feb 5, 1800 GMT - This story was updated several times, including to add Yorkshire's comments.
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo. Matt Roller is an assistant editor.
Nafay-Talat stand, Al Islam's thrilling cameo take Chittagong to final
Chittagong Kings 164 for 8 (Nafay 57, Talat 40, Musfik 3-32) beat Khulna Tigers 163 for 6 (Hetmyer 63, Mahidul 41, Fernando 2-27) by two wickets
Islam was unbeaten on 17 off seven balls, with two fours and a six, to take the Chittagong franchise into their second BPL final. They will face defending champions, and favourites, Fortune Barishal at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Friday.
Aliss the King
Chittagong's batting order, that lacked depth, was left exposed when tail-ender Khaled Ahmed walked in to bat at No 7. They slipped from 105 for 2 to 130 for 7 between overs 13 and 17. Arafat Sunny and Aliss then added 26 runs, with both hitting a couple of boundaries each.
Nafay powers Chittagong
The Pakistani pair relied a lot on rotating the strike but just when the boundaries dried up, Talat struck the big ones. He made 40 off 25 balls with five fours and a six, while Nafay reached his second half-century for the season, as Chittagong looked to be sailing smoothly.
Nasum double sparks a collapse
Talat swung Nasum towards the deep-square-leg boundary in the 13th over, only to be caught in the boundary. It sparked a collapse as Shamim Hossain also top edged Nasum in his next over, before Musfik accounted for Nafay. The set batter couldn't get going after reaching his fifty, missing on a lap shot against the fast bowler. He removed Khaled later in the over, before the Chittagong captain Mohammad Mithun top edged Hasan Mahmud in the 17th over.
Chittagong apply the squeeze
Earlier in the evening, Khulna didn't get going with the bat for a long time. They lost captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the third over when Binura Fernando got one to scissor through him. Islam then had Alex Ross caught and bowled in the following over, before Khaled Ahmed, Chittagong's best bowler, removed Mohammad Naim, Khulna's best batter, for 19.
Afif Hossain also couldn't resuscitate Khulna, making just 8 off 14 balls, before holing out in the deep in the ninth over. Chittagong applied the squeeze and then some, keeping Khulna from hitting boundaries for more than six overs. Aliss completed his four overs during this period, going for just 14 runs. Hetmyer, at the crease, didn't help matters, as they meandered to 92 for four at the end of the 16th over.
Hetmyer does his thing
With their backs to their wall, Khulna really needed a boost at this stage of their innings. Mahidul Islam Ankon, who had hit the two sixes in the innings thus far, slammed Khaled before Hetmyer got two sixes to take 23 off the 17th over. Shoriful removed Mahidul first ball next over, but Hetmyer still found two fours in the over. Fernando, who had given away just six runs in his first three overs, then came into Hetmyer's crosshairs. The left-hander struck him for two fours and two sixes in his first four balls, before falling off the last ball. Hetmyer had arrived for Khulna just before the eliminator match against Rangpur, having just played in the ILT20.
Mohammad Nawaz and Jason Holder cobbled together 17 runs in the final over, to give Khulna the much-needed boost. They made 71 off the last four overs to finish on 163 for 6, but it wasn't enough.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
Abhishek up to No. 2 in T20I batting rankings; Varun joint-second among bowlers
Aggression, clarity, fearlessness - coach Edwards reveals MI's mantra for WPL 2025
MI have also started preparing for the new season with almost a week's training done in Navi Mumbai, mainly with the Indian players.
"Every player that comes into MI hopefully knows what's expected of them. But equally [important is] that aggressive approach which is what we want to have throughout when we bat, bowl or field - and that's something we tried to put across most of the players," Edwards said at a press conference in Mumbai. "But equally, have that clarity about what our strengths are.
"I thought we played some fantastic cricket last year, and that's all we can ask [for]. Things that we really set here is that we want people turning on the TV and watching the Mumbai Indians playing, and we certainly did that last time - we had some entertaining games of cricket."
"We missed out by the narrowest of margins last year, which was disappointing. But we played the way we wanted to play, and this year, it's just pure excitement for it," Edwards said. "That we can keep building this team, to keep improving and hopefully get back to the winning ways, and get back to CCI (the Brabourne) and be in another final this year."
This time, MI have as many as nine players under the age of 25, including the 16-year-old Kamalini, who scored 143 runs for winners India during the recently-concluded Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Edwards said the key was to teach those youngsters that being aggressive was not only about hitting sixes.
"The wonderful thing about youth is they'll come in, and they will be aggressive," she said. "So now it's for us to just teach somehow to play T20 cricket, and it's not all about hitting sixes. And that's our job now to instil that within the players, but never take away this aggressive approach that we want to just build on their wonderful talent.
"And that's what's impressed me so much about the talent coming through. They're just so forward-thinking and open-minded, and it's so wonderful to coach, and they do it all with a smile on their face, which makes me very happy."
"Baroda will be a new venue for all of us. Recently, the Indian team played a series against West Indies [there], and the wicket was good; it's a new stadium. Lucknow's Ekana Stadium is a fantastic stadium."
Jhulan Goswami on the expansion of the WPL
Goswami: WPL's motto is to expand women's cricket
While the maiden WPL was held in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the second season expanded to Bengaluru and Delhi. The third edition that starts from February 14 will be played across four cities: Vadodara, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Goswami, who played international cricket for over 20 years, said expanding the women's game in the country was the "motto" of the WPL, while she also hoped to lift the trophy at the Brabourne Stadium again, which will host the final two league games and the knockouts.
"One of the best things about WPL is it's now going in different places in our country, and it will impact local young girls, [and] budding cricketers - to motivate them, encourage them," she said. "And that is the ultimate motto of WPL - to go to different venues and expand women's cricket, particularly in our country.
"Baroda (now Vadodara) will be a new venue for all of us. Recently, the Indian team played a series against West Indies [there], and the wicket was good; it's a new stadium. Lucknow's Ekana Stadium is a fantastic stadium. Coming back to Mumbai, [we're] looking forward to coming back in our home and playing in front of our MI fans. It's a big thing, and we have fond memories of our first year, and [are] really looking forward to this season and playing in front of our MI fans."
MI's first game in WPL 2025 will be on February 15, against Delhi Capitals in Vadodara.
Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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